Event Review | IEEE Region 8 Student and Young Professionals Congress 2022
3rd – 7th August 2022 saw the much-anticipated return of the in-person IEEE Student and Young Professional Congress, held in Tunis. The event welcomed over 250 students and young professional members from IEEE Region 8, spanning from Portugal to Siberia and everywhere in between. This 2022 event was organised by National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (INSAT), one of the largest and most active institutions in Tunisia.
The event was an overwhelming success, with a packed programme of plenary sessions, workshops, competitions and social activities, in the beautiful region of Gammarth on the Mediterranean Sea. The purpose of these bi-annual congress events is to is to enhance and foster the IEEE spirit of collaboration, learn new skills and techniques to enhance your personal and professional development, network, and meet a culturally diverse range of new people to share the experience.
The event began with a grand opening ceremony, held at the Theatre of Regions in the City of Culture, Tunis. Here, the IEEE and all of its committee leads were introduced, including IEEE President Ray Liu and IEEE Vice President MGA David Koehler, alongside a creative music performance for the guests.
The following three days featured several keynote presentations, technical workshops and networking opportunities, careers fair and an interactive poster session. These were followed by a touristic tour to historic Carthage, traditional Tunisian dinner, the famous multicultural evening, and an extravagant gala dinner during which the IEEE awards were celebrated on stage for the 2020 and 2021 applicants.
The UK and Ireland Section was very well represented, with five universities sending their committee members to the event, partially funded by the UK and Ireland Section. The UK and Ireland Young Professionals were also represented, with the attendees learning a wealth of new information on the IEEE and the opportunities available to its members.
Rishabh Jain, chair of the National University Ireland Galway IEEE Student Branch, commented:
The SYP congress was an amazing life changing experience for me. It allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and connect with people on a personal and professional level, make new friends and get to experience the IEEE culture.
Yinka Leo Ogundiran, Chair of the University of Sheffield IEEE Student Branch and Power & Energy Society Chapter, commented:
Attending the 2022 IEEE SYP Congress was not only eventful and exciting for me, but the warm hospitality of the hosts and their excellent coordination made the whole experience unforgettable. It was particularly thrilling that it was young people, our IEEE Students Young Professionals (SYP), that handled such a large, complex event with sheer competence and professionalism.
My optimism about the future of IEEE has never been this positive until I visited Tunisia. Many thanks to IEEE UK and Ireland Section, and IEEE Region 8 for generously providing the financial sponsorship which made it possible for me to have the lifetime opportunity to enhance my leadership skills, expand my professional network, make new friends and further solidify my commitment to the IEEE.
Ana Cláudia Ferreira, chair of University College Cork, said:
This congress has been one of the best experiences in my life. I had the chance to represent the IEEE University College Cork as the chairperson and learn from experienced attendees at the event on how to keep helping the branch drive and thrive. On a personal level, thanks to this event I expanded my professional network and ultimately I made what I hope are lasting friendships for a lifetime.
Finally, Zixuan Jia, Secretary of the University of Birmingham IEEE Student Branch, noted:
Exciting and memorable, the event is one of the largest IEEE events in Region 8, fostering interaction among students, young professionals, and seasoned industry professionals. I learned how to coordinate student branch activities efficiently and professionally through the study in the workshop.
Through this event, we represented the IEEE UK and Ireland Section to the rest of Region 8. At the same time, the student branch of the University of Birmingham also took this opportunity to increase external publicity and introduced IEEE and its benefits to the University of Birmingham students. In the future, we hope more students and young professionals join our team as members and volunteers.
We are now counting down the weeks until the announcement of the IEEE Student and Young Professional Congress 2024, and the Cross-Sectional SYP events starting in 2023. Keep your student branches active and be sure to keep in touch with the announcements by following our IEEE UK and Ireland Student Activities social media pages at:
